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Student Planning - Frequently Asked Questions

When can I register for courses?

You can register for courses for a given semester anytime during the course enrolment period for that semester; see the dates for your course selection period. For help registering for courses, watch the Registering for Courses video.

How do I determine which courses I need to take to graduate?

You should always refer to your Program Plan. Remember to select the Program Plan that corresponds to the year you started at the University of Guelph-Humber.

How are the bars on the “My Progress” page calculated and what do the colours represent?

The first bar (“Progress”) represents an approximate percentage of program requirements you have completed. Each component of a program’s requirements states specific criteria you must meet in terms of either credits or courses. A program can have a combination of many components with a mix of credits and course requirements. For this reason, the percentage of requirement components completed cannot be 100% accurate in expressing the overall completeness of the program. While you may use the progress bar as a guideline, more information may be determined by looking at the My Progress page and reviewing your completed course work against the program’s requirements.

The second bar (“Total Credits”), pictured below, represents the number of credits that the student has completed (A, dark green), in progress (B, light green) and planned (C, yellow), out of the total number of credits required for the program. In the case of graduate students, this number will default to 0 as the total number of credits varies by the individual's program.

The numbers just above the “Total Credits” bar, on the right-hand side, represent the total number of planned, in-progress and completed credits (D) compared to the total number of credits required to successfully complete the program (E). To determine how many credits you will still need to take for your program after successfully completing your in-progress courses, subtract the number of completed and in-progress credits (A + B) from the total number of required credits for your program (E).

Screenshot of the Total Credits bar on the My Progress page

The third bar (“Total Credits from this Institution”) displays the number of completed (dark green), in-progress (light green) and planned (yellow) credits. Transfer credits and credits obtained on a Letter of Permission are not included. The numbers just above the bar, on the right-hand side, represent:

  1. the total number of planned, in-progress and completed credits from Guelph-Humber
  2. the number of credits (5.00) that must be completed at Guelph-Humber to meet Academic Residence Requirements.

What does “Credit not Earned” on the “My Progress” page mean?

“Credit not Earned” means that you did not fulfil the requirements of the course.

I’m an upper-year student and have completed a lot of my courses. Why are there still so many sections in red on the “My Progress” page?

One potential reason is that grades have not yet been posted for some of your courses; those courses would still be considered incomplete and show as red.

I’m a part-time student. Will the “My Progress” page show differently for me?

No, the “My Progress” page will look the same for part-time and full-time students. When creating your degree plan, part-time students should however note that you can only plan for six years in advance on your Timeline.

Can I view the requirements for my area of emphasis (AOE) or specialization on the “My Progress” page?

Yes, the "My Progress" page includes the requirements for your area of emphasis (AOE) or specialization.

With the "View a New Program" feature, can I preview what courses I would need to take if I pursued a different area of emphasis (AOE) or specialization?

Yes, you can use this feature to see the courses required from different AOEs or specializations. You can also refer to your Program Plan for further details.

Can I use the “View a New Program” feature to see what courses I would need to take if I applied to switch programs within UofGH?

You can use this feature to see the courses that are required within a different program at UofGH. You should also connect with your Academic Advisor to see if there are any course substitutions that could also be made for any of the courses you have completed within your current program.

What happens to the “My Progress” page when I declare an area of emphasis (AOE) or specialization?

Once the change has been approved and processed, you will see additional requirements on your “My Progress” page that are associated to the AOE or specialization.

What is the difference between a planned course and a registered course?

A planned course is one you intend to take in a future semester. You must register for the course during the course selection period for that semester in order to take the course and have access to the course materials on CourseLink. When you are planning your courses, you will be notified of any prerequisites and restrictions (e.g., restricted to students in a certain program) for the courses, but you will not be prevented from adding courses to your plan if you don’t have the prerequisites or meet the restrictions. Once it comes time to register, you will not be able to register in a course if you don’t have the prerequisites or meet the restrictions for the course.

When can I start planning my courses?

You can create your degree plan anytime. It is important to understand that you are not registering in these courses but rather you are "planning" to register for the course in the term to which you have added the planned course. You are not obligated to register for a planned course nor are you billed for the planned course until you register. You can add, remove or move planned courses into any path that you want. For help planning your courses, watch the Creating a Plan video.

I planned a course for the upcoming semester but the course offerings for that semester are now posted and my planned course is not available. What should I do?

Although courses will normally be offered in the semester(s) indicated, the University cannot guarantee that all courses will be offered in the exact semester(s) indicated. The course timetable for a semester is posted approximately two weeks before course selection begins. If your planned course is not offered, you will need to choose a different course. We recommend you check your “My Progress” page (or your Program Plan) to see what other courses you could take for your degree. You should also update your timeline in the “Plan & Schedule” section accordingly by moving the planned course that is not offered this semester to a future semester.

How do I remove a planned section or course from my timetable?

On the “Schedule” tab of the “Plan & Schedule” page, click on the X next to the course or section names in the left-hand panel to remove the planned course or section from your timetable.

How can I add myself to the waitlist of a closed section?

The waitlisting feature is not currently available. Select another open section that fits your schedule and then continue to monitor WebAdvisor for availability in your desired section. Space may become available if another student drops that section.

How does a Distance Education course without scheduled class time display on my timetable?

Distance Education courses without scheduled class time are listed below your timetable on the “Planning Overview” and “Plan & Schedule” pages. You can also view and print a full list of your planned and registered courses by clicking the “Print” button above the timetable.

What do the different colours on my timetable mean?

On the “Schedule” tab, your planned and registered course sections are displayed in a timetable to help identify any conflicts. Lectures and labs/seminars are displayed in these colours:

  • Yellow: lectures, labs and seminars of planned courses
  • Green: lectures of registered courses
  • Purple: labs or seminars of registered courses
  • Red: lectures, labs and seminars of conflicting courses

For more information about what the different colours on Student Planning represent, take a look at the Colour Coding Identification infographic.

Can I simultaneously drop and add sections?

Yes, Student Planning allows you to drop one section and register for another section simultaneously. IMPORTANT NOTE: if there is a registration issue with the course section you’re trying to add (e.g., no seats available), you will not be successfully registered in it, BUT your current course section will still be dropped. Remember you can drop a course section up until the last day of classes each semester; however, you can only add course sections during the designated course selection period.  

Where can I find my current academic standing (e.g., Eligible to Continue, Probation, Required to Withdraw)?

After you log into WebAdvisor, go to the Students menu and click on "Current Academic Standing" under "Academic Profile." 

I performed an Advanced Search using the Catalog Listing view. There is a button to "View Available Sections" for one of the courses in my search results, but nothing displays when I click the button. Why is it blank?

We are aware some courses showing the "View Available Sections" button even when there are no sections available. If there isn't any information displaying when you click the button, the course is not offered in the chosen semester. 

Why is course section information (e.g., seat availability, meeting information, etc.) different when selecting Section Listing in the Advanced Search compared to Catalog Listing?

Information on the Section Listing page is only updated once a day (overnight), so you will not see changes until the next day. Use the Basic Search or the Catalog Listing view in the Advanced Search to view the most up-to-date course section information. The Plan & Schedule page also provides up-to-date information on course sections. For help searching for courses, watch the Finding Courses video tutorial

Why can’t I see the “Add Course to Plan” button in the Course Details pop-up window? (macOS users)

For macOS users, the scroll bar may not appear in the Course Details window. You will need to scroll downwards using your dial until you see the "Add Course to Plan” button at the bottom of the window.

Why do I receive the message “Unable to retrieve course plan” when I try to access Student Planning?

Only current students can access the “Student Planning Overview,” “My Academic Progress” and “Plan, Schedule, Register & Drop” links on WebAdvisor. If you recently accepted your offer of admission to the University, there may be a small delay with your status changing from applicant to current student, so you will be temporarily unable to access Student Planning. If you are receiving this error message and you are a newly admitted student, please contact admissions@guelphhumber.ca.

I’m interested in taking a certain course through Distance Education (DE), and the course description indicates that the course is offered in a DE format. The course schedules for the semester are now posted, and the course is only being offered through face-to-face delivery. Why isn’t it being offered in a DE format as indicated in the course description?

Information in the course description about when and how a course is offered should only be used as a guide. If the “Offering(s)” section of the course description indicates “Also offered through Distance Education format,” this may not apply to all semesters, and the course may only be available through face-to-face delivery in some semesters. If you would like to know more about when the course is usually offered through DE, please contact your Academic Advisor.

Why don’t I see the "Register" or "Register Now" buttons?

There are two potential reasons that the "Register" and "Register Now" buttons are not displaying on the "Plan, Schedule, Register & Drop" page: 

  1. Your course selection window hasn't opened yet. Visit the Course Selection Windows webpage to determine when you can start registering for courses. 
  2. You haven't selected a section. Before you can register for a course, you first need to select/plan a section – even if the course only has one section. On the "Plan, Schedule, Register & Drop" page, click on the "View other sections" drop down under the course in the left panel and then click on the desired section. A window will pop up; click on "Add Section" at the bottom right. The section should now show up in yellow on your timetable, or below the timetable if it doesn't have a scheduled meeting time. There should be a "Register" button for each individual course on the left and a "Register Now" button should show up at the top right to register for all courses at once. Read the Registering for Courses help guide for more details and screenshots or watch the Registering for Courses video tutorial

Why are two different programs displaying on the My Progress page?

If you are a new student who initially accepted an offer into one program but then switched programs before the start of the semester, you will see both programs on your My Progress page until the first day of class. After the first day of class, only your current program will continue to display.

Who can I contact for technical support?

For technical issues (e.g., browser or login issues), please contact the CCS Help Centre

What should I do if a required course is full?

As a first step, please make sure that you have viewed all sections of the course. You may have missed sections that still have seats available. When you're on the "Plan, Schedule, Register & Drop" page of WebAdvisor, the left panel only shows six sections at a time. You need to use the arrows shown in the screenshot below to view the other sections.

If you are using the Subject Search or the Catalog Listing view of the Advanced Search, make sure you scroll all the way down the list of sections for the course.

If you have searched through all sections and there are no seats available, continue to monitor WebAdvisor as some spaces may be added or another student may drop the course. You may also wish to connect with your Academic Advisor should you need assistance selecting another course.

What should I do if the course section that I want is full?

If your desired section is full at the time of your window opening, select another open section that fits your schedule and then continue to monitor WebAdvisor for availability in your desired section. Space may become available if another student drops that section.